Biederman - 2013 Songwriters Market

Before you dive into the Songwriters Market listings and start submitting songs willy-nilly, its a good idea to take the time to read the following information. By educating yourself on how to best use this book, youll be better prepared when you actually do send off your CD.

Lets take a look at what is inside Songwriters Market, why these articles were put into the book in the first place, and how they can help your career.

Beyond the articles, there are eight market sections in this book, from Music Publishers and Record Companies to Contests & Awards. Each section begins with an introduction detailing how the different types of companies functionwhat part of the music industry they work in, how they make money, and what you need to think about when approaching them with your music.

These listings are the heart of Songwriters Market. They are the names, addresses and contact information of music biz companies looking for songs and artists, as well as descriptions of the types of music they are looking for.

The quick answer is that you should use the indexes to find companies that are interested in your type of music; then read the listings for details on how they want the music submitted. For support and help, join a songwriting or other music industry association (see the Organizations section of this book). Read everything you can about songwriting (see the Publications of Interest section at the back of this book). Talk to other songwriters. Thats a good start!

The listings in Songwriters Market are packed with information. It can be intimidating at first, but they are structured to make them easy to work with. Take a few minutes to get used to how the listings are organized, and youll save time in the long run. For more detailed information about how the listings are put together, skip ahead to the Where Should I Send My Songs? section.

The following are general guidelines about to how to use the listings:

1. READ THE ENTIRE LISTING to decide whether to submit your music. Please do not use this book as a mass mailing list. If you blindly mail out demos by the hundreds, youll waste a lot of money on postage and annoy a lot of people, and your demos will likely end up in the trash.
2. PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE MUSIC SECTION IN EACH LISTING. This will tell you what kind of music the company is looking for. If they want rockabilly only and you write heavy metal, dont submit to that company. Thats just common sense.
3. PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS shown under How to Contact. A lot of listings are particular about how they want submissions packaged. If you dont follow their instructions, your submission will probably be discarded. If you are confused about a listings instructions, contact the company for clarification.
4. IF IN DOUBT, CONTACT THE COMPANY FOR PERMISSION TO SUBMIT. This is a good general rule. Many companies dont mind if you send an unsolicited submission, but some require you to get special permission prior to submitting. Contacting a company first is also a good way to find out their latest music needs, and its an opportunity to briefly make contact on a personal level.
5. BE COURTEOUS, BE EFFICIENT AND ALWAYS HAVE A PURPOSE to your personal contact. Dont waste a contacts time. If you call, always have a legitimate reasonpermission to submit, checking on guidelines, following up on a demo, etc. Once you have their attention, dont wear out your welcome. Always be polite.
6. CHECK FOR A PREFERRED CONTACT. A lot of listings have a designated contact person shown after a bolded Contact in the heading. This is the person you should contact with questions or to whom you should address your submission.